Up north, we have very few closure days, but that is because we have the equipment to properly do snow removal. However, we do not in my memory ever close for simple cold.
On an aside, as a parent, I was horrified when I realized that our kids could take the same test as many times as they wanted until they achieved the grade they wanted. In my day we got one chance to do a test, and that was it. However, in recent years, I have come to realize that it is not always the teacher, but the failure of the administration to support academic rigor in the classroom. Teachers are sometimes threatened with their jobs if they do not push students through. Unfortunately elected administrators will listen more to the complaining parents, than they will do what is right for the student for their future.
Unfortunately the "No child left behind" initiative sounded good, but the end result is that K-12 education was then teaching to the lowest common denominator, and now the colleges are suffering the consequences. Colleges are now being told to reduce the number of credits for a degree, and to do away with remediation, both of which further degrades the quality of the American educational experience. Typical government though, treat the symptoms rather than fix the root problem. Education will not improve until K-12 is fixed
I read an article not too long ago in which students worldwide were assessed in mathematical skills. Of all students worldwide, American kids had among the lowest test scores, yet had the highest opinion of themselves.
All I can say is that I am fearful for the quality of my health care as I age (the latest bright idea in American education is to reduce medical school from 4 years to 3 years to push more graduates through)
